Nick: sumtingottagive E-mail: none Board: gottagive Contents: Crouching Microsoft, Hidden Patents This story is two fold: (1) Possible moves to overthrow or replace Debian & other pressure points (2) MS patent licensing deal with Rakuten covering Android AND Linux devices! ### (1) Well... THAT didn't take very long. Ian Murdock (28 April 1973 - 28 December 2015) Microsoft Releasing a Debian Linux Networking Distro (Jan/Feb/Mar?? 2016) damn, that and the donation to OpenBSD is pretty much chess moves, IMO. All MS should do is buy up Canonical/RedHat and knock over the systemd distros with some type of patent(s) and/or buy some out and that leaves a tiny amount of 'fringe' distros. Debian will probably be gobbled up in the process (what happened with Corel Linux and further down the line, that party with Novell?) and BSD wouldn't be too difficult to buy/donate out anyway. WINE could possibly have patent(s) suits against it...So what's left? Hurd, my good man, where HAVE you been? +++ (2) And So It Begins... Microsoft and Rakuten sign patent licensing agreement (Linux/Android+) Microsoft signs patent licensing deal with Rakuten covering Android and Linux devices By John Callaham - Wednesday, Mar 9, 2016 at 4:23 pm EST "Microsoft has entered yet another patent license agreement with a third-party company. This time, it's with Japan-based Rakuten, and it will cover both company consumer electronic products, including any Linux and Android-based devices." http://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-signs-patent-licensing-deal-rakuten-covering-android-and-linux-devices https://archive.is/2VwbO +++ Microsoft and Rakuten sign patent licensing agreement "REDMOND, Wash., and TOKYO - March 9, 2016 - Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC and Rakuten Inc. on Wednesday signed a worldwide patent cross-licensing agreement covering each company's respective consumer electronics products, including Linux and Android-based devices." Hahahahaha: "The terms of the agreement are confidential." http://news.microsoft.com/2016/03/09/microsoft-and-rakuten-sign-patent-licensing-agreement/ https://archive.is/bnylI